Related Articles

Studying the feeding habits of the creature - which may help to understand its steep decline - is the focus of a project by Texas A&M University at Galveston researcher Markus Horning and funded by the National Oceanic and Atmospherics Administration through the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation.

Horning is using three Steller sea lions at the Alaska Sea Life Center at Seward to determine the animal's diving patterns. He wants to see how the Steller sea lion can adapt when its food supply is not what it used to be.

Horning and doctoral student Leslie Cornick are using fish-feeder guns to release food at varying rates during a series of dives by the captive sea lions. By monitoring responses in the sea lions' behavior, they hope to see how the Stellers can adapt to changes in their food supply, which includes fish such as the pollock, cod and atka mackerel. The results could go a long way in determining why the Steller sea lion is down to only 20 percent of its numbers of just a few years ago.

"We're trying to better understand the diving behavior of Steller sea lions, which we have had a hard time with in relation to changes in their food supply," Horning says.

"The purpose is to simulate feeding dives with our three captive sea lions and monitor their swimming efforts. Do they dive longer when there is less fish? Does that make it costlier for them to feed themselves? If we can determine such basic relationships, then we can better understand the dive behavior of free-ranging Steller sea lions, and how this behavior might reflect changes in their food supply."

Once a familiar sight in Alaskan waters, the Steller sea lion has fallen on hard times of late, Horning adds.

The animal can still be seen along the California and Oregon coasts, and it also inhabits the Kamchatka region of Russia and Japan. But in much of the Pacific, the Steller sea lion is often a no-show.

Horning says it is the largest of all sea lions, with males averaging about 2,200 pounds.

There could be several reasons why the Steller sea lion has declined, Horning believes.

One could be overfishing, especially in northern Pacific and Alaskan waters, where the animal's food supply could be affected. Another could be predators, such as orca whales and sharks.

Pollution of the oceans could also be a factor, harming the Steller's immune system and female fertility.

"The simple fact is, there are far fewer numbers of them now than ever before and the outlook for them is not that bright," Horning adds.

"By simulating their diving and the way they go after their food, our project may tell us more about how the Steller sea lion goes about collecting its food. How accessible is its food source? Is it having greater difficulty in obtaining this food? Could that be related to fishing activities? Our tests may tell us more about its food supply and how the Steller sea lion goes about collecting its food.

"These are some of the questions we hope to be able to address with our project."

Horning says the results should be available by early next year.

Story Source:

The above story is based on materials provided by Texas A&m University. Note: Materials may be edited for content and length.

More From ScienceDaily

More Plants & Animals News

Featured Research

Mar. 3, 2015 — New assays can detect malaria parasites in human blood at very low levels and might be helpful in the campaign to eradicate malaria, reports a new study. An international team led by Ingrid Felger, ... full story

Mar. 3, 2015 — While studying a ground-nesting bird population near El Reno, Okla., a research team found that stress during a severe weather outbreak of May 31, 2013, had manifested itself into malformations in ... full story

Mar. 3, 2015 — The 3-D printing scene, a growing favorite of do-it-yourselfers, has spread to the study of plasma physics. With a series of experiments, researchers have found that 3-D printers can be an important ... full story

Mar. 3, 2015 — Most people consume more salt than they need and therefore have a higher risk of heart disease and stroke, which are the two leading causes of death worldwide. But a new study reveals that dietary ... full story

Mar. 3, 2015 — By examining the forces that the segments of mosquito legs generate against a water surface, researchers have unraveled the mechanical logic that allows the mosquitoes to walk on water, which may ... full story

Mar. 3, 2015 — Pediatric otolaryngologists and surgeons are concerned with parents getting the wrong message regarding the safety/desirability of letting babies and young children eat peanuts to prevent them from ... full story

Mar. 3, 2015 — Researchers have developed a new way of rapidly screening yeasts that could help produce more sustainable biofuels. The new technique could also be a boon in the search for new ways of deriving ... full story

Mar. 3, 2015 — Similar to humans and animals, plants possess an innate immune system that protects them from invading pathogens. Molecular structures that only occur in pathogens enable their recognition and ... full story

Mar. 3, 2015 — For almost a century, scientists have been puzzled by a process that is crucial to much of the life in Earth's oceans: Why does calcium carbonate, the tough material of seashells and corals, ... full story

Featured Videos

Rare Goblin Shark Found in Australia

AFP (Mar. 3, 2015) — A goblin shark, a rare sea creature described as an &apos;alien of the deep&apos; is found off Australia and delivered to the Australian Museum in Sydney. Duration: 01:25
Video provided by AFP

Zookeepers Copy Animal Poses In Hilarious Viral Photos

Buzz60 (Mar. 2, 2015) — Zookeepers at the Symbio Wildlife Park in Helensburgh, Australia decided to take some of their favorite animal photos and recreate them by posing just like the animals. Jen Markham (@jenmarkham) has the story.
Video provided by Buzz60

Related Stories

Oct. 15, 2014 — Pacific sleeper sharks, a large, slow-moving species thought of as primarily a scavenger or predator of fish, may be preying on something a bit larger -- protected Steller sea lions in the Gulf of ... full story

May 14, 2014 — The modern New Zealand sea lion is a relative newcomer to the mainland, replacing a now-extinct, unique prehistoric New Zealand sea-lion that once lived here, according to a new study. A team of ... full story

June 29, 2013 — The study shows that Galapagos sea lions (Zalophus wollebaeki) are more prone to starvation because of exposure to human influences like pets and pollution. These can impair the level of their ... full story

Jan. 18, 2012 — A new study suggests that the impact of predation on juvenile Steller sea lions in the Gulf of Alaska has been significantly underestimated, creating a "productivity pit" from which their ... full story

Aug. 7, 2010 — NOAA's Fisheries Service says changes are needed to the areas where commercial fishermen may fish for groundfish off Alaska's Aleutian Islands to further promote the recovery of the western ... full story

ScienceDaily features breaking news and videos about the latest discoveries in health, technology, the environment, and more -- from major news services and leading universities, scientific journals, and research organizations.